KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Food Makhdoom Mehboob-uz-Zaman has said that the provincial government will procure one million tonnes of wheat from growers at an estimated cost of Rs87.5 billion, ensuring stability in the market and safeguarding the interests of growers.

He said this while chairing a meeting of senior food officials to review his department’s preparedness and operational plan for wheat procurement across the province.

The meeting was atten­ded by Food Secre­tary Ghulam Abbas Naich, besides the director and district officers of the department. The meeting undertook a comprehensive review of the procurement arrangements for the next 30 days.

The meeting was infor­med that the expected wheat production during the current season was approximately 4.5 million tonnes.

The minister directed the officials to establish 109 procurement centres and make them fully functional with proper location mapping, staffing and co­ordi­nation mechanisms to facilitate farmers. He emphasised that all arrangements must be aligned with capacity requirements to ensure a smooth procurement process.

The minister also stressed that payments to farmers must be made within 48 hours through the Hari Card and banking channels, reinforcing transparency and efficiency. He said necessary measures should be taken to maintain harmony between support price and market rates.

Highlighting the Bardana (gunny bag) management plan, he directed that Rs60 per bag of 50kg wheat should be provided to growers to support the procurement process. He also called for proper staffing, including posting of deputy directors and additional personnel wherever required to facilitate the operations.

Published in Dawn, April 7th, 2026